Propane Incentives at Commodity Classic

Cindy Zimmerman

propane-incentiveFarmers attending the Commodity Classic this week in Phoenix can learn about the latest developments in reliable and efficient propane-powered agricultural technologies – and earn up to $6,000 towards equipment purchases through the Propane Farm Incentive Program.

The program, sponsored by the Propane Education & Research Council, already offers up to $5,000 for qualifying equipment purchases but during the Commodity Classic, an additional incentive of $1,000 will be available.

The special $1,000, show-only discount will be valid for producers who stop by the PERC booth spaces, located at #2126, 2128, 2227, and 2229. PERC’s booths will feature a new 8.8-liter propane irrigation engine by SRC Power Systems and a propane-powered Exmark Laser Z X-Series commercial mower.

“With so many new technologies available on the market, and incentives of up to $6,000 available from PERC, now is the perfect time for producers to learn what’s new, and to take advantage of the benefits of clean, American-made propane,” said Cinch Munson, PERC’s ‎director of agriculture business development.

PERC has worked with a number of manufacturers to bring a new generation of propane-powered irrigation engines to the market in recent years. New emissions-compliant propane engines cost less up front than costly Tier 4 diesel engines, and Propane Farm Incentive Program participants report cutting fuel costs by over 50 percent by switching to propane irrigation, compared with similar diesel engines. Propane-powered irrigation systems also produce 11 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than diesel systems, and 24 percent less than gasoline-fueled systems.

PERC is one of our Commodity Classic sponsors this year so we will be learning much more this week about how switching to propane makes more dollars and sense than ever. Find out details about the incentive program here.

Commodity Classic, Energy, Irrigation, PERC, Propane

NASCAR Starts 5th Year with American Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

american-ethanol-fuelChuck took a last minute trip to the Daytona 500 this past weekend courtesy of New Holland, where American Ethanol celebrated the start of the fifth year of its partnership with NASCAR.

“They’ve put over six million hard-earned miles at high RPMs on these race cars,” said Tom Buis of Growth Energy at the race on Sunday. “They got better performance, they didn’t lose mileage and they haven’t had a single problem.”

Growth Energy, the National Corn Growers Association, New Holland and POET-DSM are partners in American Ethanol with NASCAR and Buis says it has helped to promote E15 to consumers. “We’re seeing more retail outlets offer E15, the same high-performance, less expensive, better fuel,” Buis said.

Interview with Tom Buis, Growth Energy, at Daytona 500

NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Brent Dewar says the partnership with American Ethanol has been very positive for them. “What we love about ethanol is not only is it a great renewable but it’s a great racing fuel, higher octane so it’s great performance for the drivers,” he said. “It’s also great for the environment, reduces greenhouse gases, homemade here in America …. it’s a win-win-win and in car races we’re all about winning!” Interview with Brent Dewar, NASCAR, at Daytona 500

nh-daytona-15-dillonChuck also had a chance to chat with American Ethanol NASCAR driver Austin Dillon while in Daytona.

“I really support what we’re doing with American Ethanol,” said Dillon. “It’s funny that you wouldn’t think NASCAR would be a “green” sport” but what we’ve done with American Ethanol has helped us be the leader in sports with green American Ethanol.”

Dillon drove the number 33 car in the Xfinity Series Alert Today Florida 300 race at Daytona Speedway on Saturday and the #3 car in the Daytona 500 race for Richard Childress Racing. Interview with NASCAR driver Austin Dillon

Audio, Ethanol, NASCAR, New Holland

Culver’s Honors Farmers & Supports National FFA Week

Jamie Johansen

In celebration of FFA week, February 21-28, Culver’s created a Thank You Farmers video to recognize hardworking farmers across the U.S. For every view of this video on YouTube, Culver’s will donate $1 to the National FFA Organization.

While we set aside this week each year to focus on farming and agriculture, Culver’s thanks farmers all year long in the following ways:

· In-restaurant fundraising backed by the efforts of more than 380 restaurants that has raised nearly a half-million dollars to date in support of the National FF Foundation, local FFA chapters and a variety of agriculture organizations
· A larger-than-life Thank You Farmers corn maze in Tracy, Minn.
· Three blue barns sharing a giant thank you to America’s farmers
· A nationwide coloring contest that gave young guests the chance to be featured in Culver’s 2015 Thank You Farmers calendar


Agribusiness, Farming, FFA, Video

Farmall 100A Series Meets Needs of All Customers

Jamie Johansen

nfms-15-case-farmallIf you walked through the Case IH booth at the National Farm Machinery Show last week you were bound to see their line of Farmall 100A tractors. Denny Stroo, Case IH, was on hand to share his knowledge of the esteemed tractor and Chuck was there to capture it.

“This particular Farmall is a 140A, which is part of the 100A series of tractors. Brand new this year is our cab platform as well as our new engine platform. The new cab gives us the ability to have a really nice ergometry laid out controls along with a couple of nice options. We have a high visibility roof panel that makes loader work very convenient. Another option is the instructors seat.”

Denny shared many other options you can select from to fit your operations needs, whether you are a row crop or livestock customer it seems this line of tractors has something for you. Case IH dealers have been taking orders for a couple of months now and they will start showing up on dealer lots this Spring.

The goal at Case IH was to provide a industry leading, cost-effective product for their customers, Denny believes they have succeeded. Learn more about how you can get your own in Chuck’s complete interview with Denny here: Interview with Denny Stroo, Case IH

Find photos from the event here: 2015 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Case IH, NFMS, Tractor

More Reaction to Proposed Dietary Guidelines

John Davis

More comments are coming forward about the recently released Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Farm Bureau and some key politicians are not pleased about what they see as the committee’s overreach in the report that will be used for developing national nutrition policy by the federal government.

afbf-logoBob Stallman, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation says while his group is pleased by the science used in the report, some of the conclusions go beyond what the current committee members would qualify to comment on.

“We are, however, concerned that the report’s lengthy foray into sustainability issues goes well beyond both the group’s expertise and its clearly defined mission. Its conclusions would have benefitted from the contributions of agronomists, animal scientists, ecologists and others with deeper expertise in agriculture and sustainability.

“The report makes many good observations about the need for a balanced diet, but we are troubled that it also repeats alarmist and unsubstantiated assertions about land use first promulgated by a UN agency with scant agricultural understanding. These assertions contradict the views of the UN’s own agricultural experts and fly in the face of decades of scientific consensus. The overall guidelines also ignore easier and more effective ways ordinary Americans can reduce their carbon footprints.”

Stallman goes on to say the report has an “unrealistically pessimistic view of sustainability,” and that colored its views regarding meat in the American diet.

U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, (R-Kansas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, expressed similar concerns of the report’s contents.

roberts2“This report is disappointing, as it is clear with some of these recommendations, the non-political, science-based process has gone awry. The Dietary Guidelines are an essential part of combating obesity and improving the diets of all Americans, and it is crucial the Guidelines be free from political influence and be completely based in nutrition science. It appears this has not been the case, and that is troubling news. As USDA and HHS take this report into consideration and develop the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, I hope they work to restore integrity to the process and preserve the independent, unbiased and nutrition science-based nature of previous Guidelines.”

A public comment period on the report goes until April 8.

AFBF, Ag Groups, Agribusiness, politics

Soybean Growers Welcome West Coast Port Labor Deal

John Davis

ASAlogo1The American Soybean Association (ASA) is welcoming news of a possible deal worked out to end a labor strike that was wreaking havoc on soybean exports from the U.S. west coast. The group says the reported deal worked out between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) will resume operations at ports along the west coast.

“As business owners, soybean farmers count on a smoothly-operating supply chain to stay competitive. The work stoppage on the west coast is something that continues to have ripple effects not only on soybean farms, but within the processing industry, and especially in the livestock industry that represents the top consumer of soybean meal,” said [ASA President Wade] Cowan.

In the 2014/2015 crop marketing year, U.S. farmers exported 1.77 billion bushels of soybeans, making soy the country’s leading farm export. Soybean meal is also a key feedstock for the livestock and meat export industry, which was disproportionately affected by the stoppage.

“Soybean farmers are proud of the role we play in the nation’s agricultural trade, and proud to be a leader on these issues,” added Cowan. “Disruptions like the one we saw out west have the potential to throw the country’s farm economy into disarray. A devastating impact like that isn’t a bargaining chip. It goes without saying that we are relieved to see a resolution to the dispute, and we encourage both parties to ratify this new contract and get back to work as quickly as possible.”

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, ASA, Soybean

Bold New Look for the Case IH Maxxum Tractors

Jamie Johansen

nfms-15-case-maxxumCase IH has added a few new products to their lineup this year and Chuck caught up with David Bogan, Case IH, during the 2015 National Farm Machinery Show (NFMS) to learn more about their Maxxum tractors.

“As we have moved into the 2015 calendar year we have had to meet those new EPA standards for this horsepower range tractor. This tractor is equipped with the Tier 4 B technology and the Final SCR-only technology that is exclusive to our brand. This means we only treat the emissions after combustion within the exhaust.”

“As you look at this tractor you can see that the styling has changed. It has a very bold, aggressive new look. A new roof cap as well that has LED lightings that are now standard. You can light up the night just like the day.”

The Maxxum tractors were publicly launched during the Cattlemen’s Industry Conference earlier in February, but if you missed them there and at NFMS I am sure you will see at next week’s Commodity Classic.

David suggests farmers and ranchers dig a little bit deeper into the specifications on these tractors to see if it will fit their operations needs. Listen to Chuck’s complete interview with David here: Interview with David Bogan, Case IH

Find photos from the event here: 2015 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Case IH, NFMS, Tractor

Pennington Named Charles Eastin Award Recipient

Jamie Johansen

agday-logo-colorThe Agriculture Council of America (ACA) has named Dennis Pennington, Michigan State University Extension, the Charles Eastin Award Recipient for 2015. The Eastin Award honors an individual who stands out as an advocate for accurate communications between rural and urban audiences. The award will be presented at the Celebration of Agriculture Dinner held at USDA in Washington, DC on National Ag Day, March 18, 2015.

Pennington assists with initiatives throughout the year with several organizations including Michigan State University, Barry County Farm Bureau, Hill N Dale 4-H club and Hastings FFA Alumni. His involvement and advocacy also extends even beyond these organizations as he has a passion for spreading agriculture awareness. He has helped the general public learn about agriculture through educational efforts at the Fair, Ag Awareness Day and online informative videos.

During National Ag Week in 2015, Pennington worked with Hastings FFA students to create local agriculture fact videos that went viral on Facebook and YouTube with thousands of views.

The Charles Eastin Award was previously awarded by the National Farm City Council. In 2013, the Agriculture Council of America assumed the assets and selected programs of the National Farm-City Council.

Ag Day, Ag Groups

Raven’s Hawkeye Nozzle Control System

Jamie Johansen

nfms-15-ravenOne of the products our friends at Raven were featuring at the National Farm Machinery Show was their Hawkeye Nozzle Control System. Chuck spoke with Raven’s Gary Esselink about what sets this sprayer apart from others on the market.

“The Raven Hawkeye is a sprayer system where we maintain constant pressure through application. One of the things that is becoming a big issue with farmers and applicators these days is the ability to maintain a consistent spray pattern throughout the field. The best way to do that is to maintain your pressure.”

Gary said another nice thing about this product is the ISO product controller that controls all functions of the Raven system. The Hawkeye Nozzel Control is compatible with AGCO, Case, Miller and Apache sprayers.

Learn more about Raven’s sprayer system in Chuck’s complete interview with Gary at NFMS here: Interview with Gary Esselink, Raven

Find photos from the event here: 2015 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album

Agribusiness, NFMS

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Talia Goes

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  • Lessing-Flynn has created new professional opportunities for members of the team, including Jordan Beynon and Chris Hanson who recently assumed new roles within the agency.
  • Land O’Lakes, Inc., Arden Hills, MN, is acquiring the assets of FLM+, a leading marketing communications and strategic consulting company with expertise in the agribusiness and rural community sector.
  • ABS® Global, Inc., the world leader in bovine genetics, reproduction services, and artificial insemination technologies, announces that it has signed an agreement for the acquisition of 51% of In Vitro Brasil S.A.
  • Ceres, Inc. announced that its seed product offerings in the U.S. will include three new forage sorghum hybrids, following positive results from commercial evaluations last season as well as new university results released last week that highlighted a number of performance advantages, including the highest milk yield per acre, which is a key metric for dairy operations.
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